Window channel



J. S. REID WINDOW CHANNEL Oct. 23, 1934.

- Filed Jan. 29, 1930 INVENTOH James .2 field ATTO RN EYS Patented Oct. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES WINDOW CHANNEL James S. Reid, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Reid Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio,

; a corporation of Ohio Application January 29, 1930, Serial No. 424,214

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a guideway or glass run channel for the edge of glass panes and is particularly adapted to use in the door or window frames of vehicles although it is not limited thereto.

One object of my invention is'to provide a guideway or glass run channel for the opposing side edges of a vertically movable glass pane or plate which provides a means for gripping the side surfaces of the glass to prevent lateral movement thereof under normal conditions, but will permit ready vertical movement of such pane or plate.

Another object of my invention is to provide a channel member or guideway of such nature that when inserted into the usual groove in a door or window frame, it will remain within the groove without the use of the usual type of securing means such, for instance, as nails or screws.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a guideway or channel member for the opposing side edges of a glass pane which will automatically adjust itself to different thicknesses of glass without undue frictional or gripping engagement with the glass and will also automatically adjust itself to grooves ofvarying widths in the door or window frame.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means such as a finishing strip in combination with such guideway or channel member for concealing all normally exposed parts of such guideway or member from the view of an ordinary observer.

Various other objects will appear in the following detailed description and one embodiment of my invention may be seen in the accompanying drawing wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a guideway 40 or channel member constructed in accordance with my invention disposed within a guideway in a frame and containing a pane of glass.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, with parts broken away of the guideway or channel member.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a modification of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a view showing one end of a supple- 50' mentary member that forms a part of my device.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified form of supplementary member.

In the drawing, 1 have shown a section 1 of a door or window frame provided with spaced members 2 that form the usual groove for the reception of the frame usually surrounding a pane of glass or the guideways for such glass.- As shown in Fig. 1, a guideway or channel member constructed in accordance with my invention is disposed within the groove formed by the members 2 and has one side edge of a sheet of glass 3 disposed therein.

The guideway or glass run channel member consists of a metallic core 4 substantially circular in horizontal cross section and made up of a plate bent into substantially tubular form with its free ends adjacent each other. This metallic core 4 is covered on both of its sides by a suitable wear resisting and metal protecting material 5 such as rubber that is of a greater thickness over the free ends of the core forming a bead 6 and providing bearing surfaces for opposing sides of the sheet of glass. The covering 5 is, in turn, covered over by a fabric material 7, such as by felt, plush or the like.

In these window channels where the glass panes slide between the free edges of the channel which are pressed toward each other, exposure of the edge portions of the channel side walls is objectionable because of the liability of plush, felt, and

other similar fabrics to collect dust and dirt and soon become more or less permanently dingy and dirty in appearance. To avoid such appearance and protect the fabric, as well as to assist in backing up the side walls of the channel, I therefore provide suitable shield members or covers for so much of the side walls of the channel as it is possible to shield or cover without interfering with the usual operation of these channels as a guideway for the glass. In other words, I cover and protect as much of the side walls as is possible leaving exposed only those edged portions necessary to guide and support the glass.

The shield members may be of any suitable form but preferably are so arranged as to present to view a more or lessornamental curved or bead portion, inwardly of which they are provided with means adapted to more or less automatically secure them in place by the mere act of insertion. For example, the shield members, inwardly 100 of the exposed head portion thereof may be provided with means adapted to engage the side walls of the channel and inter-lock therewith for securing purposes. This result may be accomplished in several ways.

In Fig. 3, the shield members are formed of metal strips bent or formed to provide an outer head portion 15 the free edge 16 of which abuts the side wall of the channel near its reinforcing hea 6 and covers and protects it usually to a 110 point very closely neighboring the glass pane. The body portion 17 of the shield is a flat sheet lying against the side wall of the channel of the groove in the window frame, and along the inner edge of the body portion it is provided with means for-engaging with the channel for seeming purposes, such as the flange 18. With this arrange-v ment, having inserted the guiding channel into its groove in the frame and the edge of the glass pane into its proper position in the channel, the shield is inserted in place by merely pushing its flange 18 down along the side wall of the channel until it interlocks with the external longitudinal groove 8 in the channel.' It therefore forms a backing for the side wall of the channel by its engagement therewith along both of its edges.

In Fig. 4 another arrangement is shown in which the body of the shield is considerably wider and is pushed down beyond the curve or arch of the side wall to engage it near its bottom. In both of the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the inner edge of the shield may be provided with teeth 11, as in Fig. 5, to hook into the fabric cover.

Another simple form of shield is shown in Fig. 6, where the portion of the metal is punched out to provide teeth at intervals which engage with the fabric and do away with any necessity for flanging this edge of this material.

As hereinbefore stated, the metallic core 4 consists of a plate bent into substantially the shape of a circular tube with its free ends adjacent each other. With this construction, the guideway or channel member will have a certain amount of lateral resiliency and, upon being inserted into a groove that is slightly less in width than the greatest diameter of the tubular shaped core, will maintain itself within such groove without additional fastening means. The cover 5 will also lend spring or resiliency to the guideway or channel member. A pane of glass having its one side edge inserted into the guideway or channel member will be gripped by the free ends thereof to maintain the glass in position in such manner as to prevent lateral movement thereof under normal conditions but to permit vertical movement thereof.

Referring to the drawing and the preceding description, it will be seen that I have provided a guideway or channel member adapted for use in door or window frames for the reception of the side edges of a pane of glass of such nature that the glass will be held within the guideway or channel member without undue gripping or frictional stress and in such manner as to permit free vertical movement of the pane of glass. It will also be seen that I have provided a guideway or channel member which may be inserted within the groove of varying sizes in door or window frames, the only limitation being that the width of the groove be less than the greatest diameter of the guideway or channel member and such guideway or channel member will be held within the groove without the aid of any fastening device.

What I claim is:

1. A glass run channel, comprising a generally channel shaped structure having a base and a pair of side flanges, each of said side flanges being provided on its inner and outer surfaces with cushioning material, and a pair of finishing strips, onefor each side flange, each of said finishing strips being separately removable from its side flange and including a laterally extending top portion engaging a side flange adjacent the free or outer edge thereof and a laterally extending bottom retaining portion engaging in the cushioning material on the outer surface of a side flange.

2. A glass run channel, comprising a generally channel shaped structure having a base and a pair of side flanges, each of said side flanges being provided on its inner and outer surfaces with cushioning material, and a pair of finishing strips, one for each side flange, each of said imishing strips being separately removable from its side flange and including a laterally extending top portion engaging a side flange adjacent the free or outer edge thereof and a laterally extending bottom retaining portion engaging in the cushioning material on the outer surface of a side flange. each of the retaining portions of said finishing strips being provided with a series of retaining projections. I

3. In combination, a frame having a window groove, a generally channel shaped window-receiving structure arranged in said groove and provided with a base and a pair of window-engaging side flanges, and a pair of finishing strips for said structure. there being one removably associated with and separately removable from each of the side flanges thereof, said finishing strips extending between said side flanges and the adjacent walls of the window groove and the outer and inner ends of said finishing strips engaging said side flanges and the outer ends of said finishing strips projecting outwardly beyond the groove in which said structure is arranged.

JAMES 8. RED. 

